The Death
by Kitsubasa
Summary: -sequel to 'The World'- When Shadows from Minato's past set after him, a question is raised: is Death returning to Iwatodai? -Souji/Minato, P3/P4 crossover-
1. Priestess

"Souji. Souji, wake up." Nudging him, I retreat back a bit as he stirs, opening his eyes slowly, a crease of anger on his brow.

"Go away, Minato," He grumbles, turning away as it registers to him that he is, indeed, awake, and that yes, it's still dark outside. "It's like, three in the morning…" Pulling the covers up to his nose, he gives a loud groan.

"Can't you give me a few more hours sleep?" I can't help but smile at his reluctance. He knows why I'm so desperate to head out—and that we have no choice. It's a necessary action. After all, he's the reason all this is happening.

"No, Souji. I'm sorry, but we've got work to do," And Yosuke told me that this guy saved an entire town once. You'd think he'd at least realize that, if the both of us want Iwatodai to last, we have to get going—now. "I sense something near the station." Slipping out of his futon, he gets to his feet. At least he listens to sense sometimes.

"Is it a _big_ something?" Crossing the room, he flings open his wardrobe, before plucking out a pair of black jeans and a white shirt. Turning away from me, he pulls off his pajamas, and begins to get dressed. Flopping against a wall and closing my eyes, I concentrate—looking for an answer to his question.

"… Yes. And it has company." As I open my eyes, I see Souji turn towards me, slinging on a jacket—the jacket of his old school, Yasogami High. Even though he's a Gekkoukan student now, he still wears his old uniform on occasion, usually when we're heading into battle. I guess it's the closest thing to a souvenir that he has of his stay in Inaba, since he botched that fusion a few months back. Oh well. I think I'm a pretty good compromise—if I do say so myself. Tossing me a pair of boxing gloves, he grins.

"Hey, since when did _you _know how to do that telepathy thing?" I smile at his question. Silly Souji. He should know that even I'm not sure about these things.

"I'm getting new abilities all the time." He shrugs in response, and walks towards the door, twisting the handle roughly. Just as he's about to pull it open, he casts me an apologetic look.

"You'd better disappear 'til I'm out of the house, Minato. If my parents hear us, they'll freak out." Nodding, I allow myself to fade out of sight in a golden glow. The tingling sensation is something I'll never grow used to—nor is the sudden switch of perspective, seeing things from Souji's eyes, and being unable to control a single part of the world around me. It's like being in a dream. Only slightly less jarring is assuming my true form; the Persona, Messiah.

Mere weeks ago, Souji and I caught ourselves rejoicing over my apparent humanity, only for our joy to spiral downwards—first, it was the difficulty I had in staying awake. I've always been a tired person. I pushed myself, every hour of the day, when I was alive, trying to pack as much in as I could. Study, friendships, copious numbers of trips to Chagall… I thought it was the same as that, to begin with. After all, trekking across Iwatodai every day takes a lot out of anyone, right? All those trips, back and forwards, between Junpei's flat and Souji's house. I didn't notice that I was at my lowest when I stayed away from Souji. But then one day, after staying up late watching an old superhero film with Junpei, I collapsed, and couldn't move until I had been left in Souji's care for over a day, sleeping.

Shortly after that came the sickness. Every moment I spent outside a kilometer radius of Souji left me on my knees, feeling ready to throw up. Trips to visit my friends had to be called off—immediately. My ever-present bonds to him only made themselves more and more apparent after that.

The headaches, the visions, and the split-second flashes of blonde hair were the only clues any of us received between then and the day it became clear that I was… that I _am_ a Persona. It started as a simple trip to see Ken—Junpei, Souji and I, taking the monorail to Port Island together. Near the end of the journey, I blacked out—Souji and Junpei carried me off the train before anyone could notice and call an ambulance. I've been dead for two years, after all. The authorities wouldn't take kindly to my sudden reappearance. Taking me to the restrooms at the station, the two of them tried to wake me up.

Imagine their shock—and mine too—when every part of me turns a pristine white, and begins to change. I woke up halfway through the transformation, and my thoughts were torn between contemplating the pain I was in, and the horror of what I was becoming. Escaping the fate of being a Persona… I thought I had done just that, but no, I was wrong.

As soon as the sickening sound of bones rearranging disappeared, the three of us realized a fact we had ignored—the fact that, whether I like it or not, I am a Persona, and no force on Earth can change that. Now, if I leave Souji's side for so much as a second, I will be forced into my true form—the tragic figure of Messiah. I was supposed to have been freed from my curse when Souji rescued me from the fate of being Orpheus… So why am I still trapped in a faux body?

Souji walks onto the street, having navigated his house without waking his parents.

"Minato, you can come out now." Separating myself from him, I appear nearby, and slip my headphones over my ears. 'Burn My Dread'. The perfect song for a mission like this. Music always keeps my thoughts at bay.

"Let's get going." Slipping the boxing gloves on, I nod to Souji, who responds similarly. The pair of us break into a sprint, though my pace far exceeds his—and before I know it, my quick movements have spurred my body into transforming… Transforming into that damn Messiah form—blonde, with its long, white limbs, and a strange fixture pinned to its back. Black coffins hang from my left wrist, cold reminders of someone I once knew, in a situation similar to mine. While I never doubted he felt pained over his monstrous body, I couldn't have imagined how awful such a thing truly felt… Until now.

Glancing towards me, Souji holds out a hand, which I grab on to, pulling him along close behind me. After a few moments, I yank him forwards, and swing him up into my arms. He flushes a bright red, but I can't figure out why—is it the fact I'm holding him so close, or a feeling of emasculation at being carried like this? Speeding up, I take long, graceful strides towards our destination, the buildings blurring around us. Souji's eyes have long since squeezed themselves closed, unable to stand my speed. Iwatodai Station can hardly be a block from here, now. Several turns later, we're there—and I sense that the enemy is, too.

"Be careful, Souji," I force myself to change back into my human form—back into Minato; the boy. "This is stronger than the last one." Souji smothers a laugh.

"What?" I ask, looking at him.

"Hey, who's the one who's fainting all the time?" I don't know whether to punch him or chuckle. I should be glad he's making light of my problems, but somehow, it just makes me feel more angry that I'm like this. I probably wouldn't be as hurt if it weren't for the implications my state makes to me. The fact I return to being Messiah when I'm weak, not the other way around… The fact it causes me to faint from exhaustion, spending too long as 'Minato'… The fact it takes effort to be human, rather than to be a monster.

I feel a second pang of remorse for my fallen friend. Ryoji; harbinger of Nyx, the Appriser, Death, Thanatos… He went by a million titles, each more sinister than the last. He strived to be human. Attempted to fit in our culture, and became more closely intertwined with it than I could ever hope to be. He belonged here, and yet he was taken by a similar fate to mine. Was it like this for him? A constant struggle to remain smiling, with a human body and a human face. A struggle for the simplest of things; the ability to eat, and feel, and touch others without breaking them. I've fought this sickness for barely a few weeks, Ryoji lasted only a short while longer than this in his time. Maybe I'll be driven wild by resisting myself like this. Maybe…

"Minato! Look out!" From nowhere, a bolt of electricity flies towards me. I dodge out of the way, just in time, fully aware that so much as a scratch will weaken me enough to force me back into my guise of Messiah. A safer appearance, to be certain, with its mechanical joints and steel skin, but one I don't wish to wear. Immediately switching to the offensive, Souji charges in, katana held firmly in both hands. Swinging it at the monster attacking us, he manages to wound it. I take the time to look it over. It's an Arcana Shadow- the Priestess. I remember it well. A black-and-white lady with a butterfly mask, verging on looking human, save for her intimidating height, staggers back from Souji's blow, wire-like hair snaking about. Her muscles tense, and she deploys a second jolt, this time in his direction. Now's my chance. Tightening my fists, I charge in towards her, posed to punch the creature. One-two, straight to her face. She recoils.

"Go, Souji!" I scream. Ramming his sword into her torso, he draws it back, inky-black blood dripping from it. "Yeah!" I cheer, as he moves in to continue the attack… Only to have the wind knocked out of me as a Shadow rams into my back. Of course! I had forgotten about her henchmen. Snapping around, I give it a strong punch, obliterating it from existence in an explosion of black ink. Returning my attention to Souji, I watch as he is whacked away by the female Shadow. Uh-oh. Running in to help him, I'm met with surprise as she uses a powerful electric spell on me, knocking me down. Damn it… Here comes Messiah.

Pain-pain-pain-pain-pain.

I lose myself in a rage as the pain overwhelms me. Halfway between human and Persona, I sprint forwards and connect my fist with her face, before using my free hand to grab the Shadow by the neck. Clenching it as tight as I can, I let out a cry.

"Megidalaon!" Golden light surrounds both of us. I feel like nothing is going on… But the Shadow receives a nasty jolt of holy energy. Punch. Punch. Punch. I'm hardly aware of what I'm doing. Nearby, Souji stands, paralyzed, too frightened by my aggressive behavior to move. Am I really doing this? The punching ends. One arm moves instead to the Shadow's tendrils of hair. I grab them roughly and tear them out. No… No… No… Stop it!

Can a Persona with a human spirit go crazy like this? Am I really facing the fate of Ryoji? He was a terrifying Shadow, for such a sweet human… If it happened to him, then it's very likely it'll happen to me. There's no difference between a Shadow and a Persona, after all. My body continues moving in its berserker rage, tearing the creature limb-from-limb, like some sort of wild animal. Letting out a final cry, the Shadow falls limp and begins to fade, just before I can wrench its head from its body.

… And so I turn to Souji.

"Minato?" He chokes, as I begin to advance towards him, black Shadow blood on my metallic white hands. Hands, outstretched, with tense muscles. And I'm reaching for his neck.

Just before I can touch him, I seize up, and collapse, forcing myself back into human form with the last of my strength. How could I even think of harming Souji?

"… Forgive me…" He dashes forward and catches me before I can hit the ground. The last thing I see is his heartbroken expression. He probably hates himself, for falling in love with a monster.

I hate myself for falling in love with a saint.


	2. Junpei

Yawning, I wander out of the bathroom, rubbing at my damp hair with a small towel. Souji and Junpei turn to look at me as I slump down on the couch beside them.

"Thanks, Junpei," Souji says, giving a warm smile to our friend. "Dunno where the two of us'd be without you."

"Hey, it's fine!" He leans over and rubs a knuckle into my scalp, laughing. "I could never abandon this guy. Not after everything he's done for me." Pulling his hand back away, he looks through the door into his kitchen.

"Oi, Chidori! You doin' okay in there?" Almost on cue, she walks out, holding a plate full of snacks.

"Yes." She replies regardless, placing it down on the table in front of us. Junpei leans forward and grabs her wrist, pulling her onto the sofa with the rest of us, before planting a kiss on her cheek.

"It looks great, honey," Giving him a gentle push, she gets up again, and leaves the room once more, smiling slightly. Junpei slumps down in his seat as she walks out, a euphoric expression on his face. "Maaan, I must be the luckiest guy in the _world_!" Plucking a piece of food off the plate, he shovels it into his mouth, and begins to chew it.

"Aaah! Her cooking just keeps getting better and better!" He gushes between bites. "She's the greatest!" Sharing a look with Souji, the two of us snigger a bit. Same old, same old. Junpei's always like this when we come over—he spends pretty much all his time praising Chidori. Whether it be her art, or her cooking, or her taste in décor (as far as I can tell, she's the one keeping his apartment tidy and stylish), it's always Chidori-Chidori-Chidori. Thankfully, she never retrieved her lost memories about her time in Strega… That, or she's not going to make it known that she has. I can't tell, myself, but I'm certain it's the former.

"Hey, did you guys have something you wanted to talk about?" Suddenly, Junpei remembers the reason why Souji and I asked to come over.

"I thought you'd never ask," Souji replies.

"Junpei, is there any way we can keep Chidori from hearing this?" I know how he feels about getting her mixed up in any business with Personae and Shadows again. That kind of thing definitely isn't something he wants her hearing about. If he's going to hear us out at all, it deserves to be on his terms.

"… Sure," He says, after thinking for a while. "Hey, Chidori!" She steps into the kitchen doorway.

"Yes, Junpei?" She asks, still smiling from before.

"Could you do me a really big favor?" He gives her an apologetic smile.

"Certainly." She replies, ever subservient.

"I kind of broke one of Minato's CDs the last time I visited him and Souji. Could you head out to that place nearby and buy me a new copy for him?"

"Of course, Junpei." Getting up from the couch, Junpei walks over to a nearby table where he's left a jacket of his. Digging his hands in, he finds his wallet, and gets out a few thousand yen, followed by a piece of paper. Running through the pockets some more, he finds a pen, and writes something down, before handing both the paper and the money to Chidori.

"Here you go. Title and artist are on the paper, and that much should be able to get it for you," She nods and attempts to walk away, but Junpei grabs her wrist. "If you've got a few hundred yen extra, then buy yourself some Cielo Mist. As my apology for drinking it all." Kissing her on the cheek again, he lets go, and allows her to leave, a small blush on her face. As the apartment door swings closed with the loud sound of a lock clicking, he sighs.

"I can't believe you remembered doing that, Junpei." I laugh. He wasn't lying about the CD—two and a half years ago, he did indeed break one of my favorites. Hopefully Souji won't mind when I put it on tonight. I think he'll like it—it's a pretty good band.

"Hey, you think I wasn't feeling guilty about it?" He groans. "You didn't let me into your room again for like a month! You wouldn't even talk to me! How could I _not_ remember?" Fair enough. Breathing a sigh of annoyance, Junpei pushes the memory away and gets back on task.

"So, what is it you guys wanted to say, anyway?" Souji stiffens up, a grim expression appearing on his face, as Junpei asks.

"We need some back-up for our missions."

"Whoa-whoa-whoa… You mean the ones against the Arcana Shadows? Dude. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt… _Not doing it again_." Junpei looks like he utterly detests the idea—and I don't blame him. Being texted at ungodly hours of the morning by Souji and I, asking for help with killing over-powered monsters? I doubt anyone would leap at the chance.

"We need a third person, though, Junpei. Minato went berserk last time, and we can't risk him taking out a civilian." I nod at Souji's words.

"You remember what happened to Ken. We don't want that happening again." Junpei grimaces at the thought.

"Why can't you enlist him, though? Or better yet, get Koromaru on it," He looks away from me as I give him a pleading look. "Anyone but me, guys. I've got Chidori to look after. Doing this sorta thing with you? Fine. But I'm not going back into combat."

"Junpei…"

"Don't 'Junpei' me, Minato. I'm not up to doing the Persona gig any more." Looking at him with anger in his eyes, Souji's mouth curves into a grimace.

"I can't believe you, Junpei," Curling his hands into fists, he frowns. "Minato and I head out every few nights to try and protect this place, and all you're interested in doing is keeping your girlfriend safe."

"Souji, don't-"

"No, Minato. Stop being such a pacifist. Junpei, you should be fighting with us. If you've got any real interest in keeping Chidori safe, then you should be out playing support to Minato." Looking at me with ice-cold eyes as he says my name, I'm suddenly afraid of this intensity Souji has—it's like Mitsuru's. He's persuasive, amazingly so. Now I see why it's so rare for people to go against him.

"Dude, I'm sorry. But I've got other things to do with my time." But then again, Junpei's always been similarly strong-willed.

Out of nowhere, I feel dizzy. Souji and Junpei continue to argue, but I can't understand a word they're saying. It's all a blur. A loud, confusing mix of noises. The argument grows in intensity, and I get up off the couch. I can't see where I'm going. I stagger into a wall.

"Minato!" Someone calls out my name, as I slump to the ground, growing weak at the knees. I try and pull myself up, but fail.

"Minato… Minato, snap out of it!" Firm hands grasp my jacket and give me a strong shake. All my muscles relax, and everything begins to turn black.

"Souji…"


	3. Emperor and Empress

The Arcana Shadows started appearing about a week back. The Magician, like last time, was the first to show up—a writhing mass of arms, traveling swiftly through Iwatodai. It hunted Souji and I down, and we faced it in the street outside his home. It was dispatched with ease, requiring no effort on either of our parts. Boxing gloves and a katana were all we needed to win.

I hypothesized that it was linked to my escape from the TV world. I didn't exactly make an attempt to flee from the Arcana Shadow replicas there, after all. Sure, I made it out of the world, but the portal I managed to create to leave it wasn't shut after that. The Shadows following me out seems perfectly plausible. But… as these battles go on, it becomes more and more apparent to me that maybe, it wasn't just that. The Shadows show up at random hours of the day, no longer restricted to the Dark Hour, or anything like it. So far we've been lucky, and we've only had to deal with them in the middle of the night, but any time now one could come out during the day. And after we defeat each one… it leaves me weaker.

At this rate, I'm wondering if I'll be able to stay in human form at all.

Souji taps his pen on the blank page in front of him, yawning. Up the front of the room, Mr. Edogawa drones on about Grecian mythology, and its followers. Somehow, he's ended up on a tirade about something called Orphism—but I'm not exactly paying attention. Nor is Souji, it would seem, who begins to doodle a picture on his notebook. Despite the sketchy, skewed way it turns out, I can tell it's meant to be Izanagi—his original Persona. He and Yosuke didn't exactly skip over any of the details when they explained the events of Inaba to me, after all.

After staring at it for a moment as he finishes, he puts a large scribble through, and begins a second doodle. I watch his hand move swiftly, beginning to draw a large oval—a face, maybe? A loud noise sounds out without warning, distracting Souji from his work.

"Hm?" Mr. Edogawa looks away from the class. A second noise, a _thump_, echoes again, followed by shrieks from outside. "I wonder what all the fuss is about…" Not too concerned with it, however, he soon returns his gaze to the students. But unluckily for him, his class is more inquisitive. A boy, sitting close to the window, scoots his chair slightly nearer to it, and looks out- soon followed by several others on that side, as the screams escalate. Soon, the entire class is trying to get a good look out, save for Souji, who's gone back to drawing. I want to see what's going on too… Why won't he just stand up and move? Come on, Souji.

"What _is _that?"

"What's it doing to that girl?" Finally, he gets to his feet, and trudges over to the other students. Pushing someone out of the way gently, he moves to the front of the cluster, and gazes out. In the middle of the courtyard, standing tall above all the students, is the last thing I wanted to see here—the Emperor Arcana Shadow. In one hand it holds a small, black-haired school girl, prepared to snatch her life away. It's trying to coax me out… They all are. The Arcana Shadows want one thing; to fight me. But why? Regardless, I can't keep away from its taunt. I have to battle it—no matter what Souji's reaction to this decision might be. Summoning myself into being behind the cloud of students, I fight my way through, and push open a window.

"Hey, who're you?" One boy asks, as I press on the glass, sliding it out of my way. I don't answer—all I do is give him a hollow glance. And the window moves free. Getting up onto the sill, I feel someone's hand grab my ankle, trying to prevent me from moving. I'm still human, and still dressed in my Gekkoukan uniform, like always. They must think I'm just some stupid student who's burst into their classroom out of nowhere.

"Let go of me." Shaking the hands away, I glance back, and catch the eyes of a worried schoolgirl, as her hand retreats, startled by my emotionless voice. Returning my attention to the Shadow after a moment of thought, I leap from the windowsill, changing into Messiah as I hurtle towards the ground. Landing softly, I glance back up to the room I've come from. Souji sends me a smile, as good luck. The Emperor turns towards me, dropping the girl. Dashing forwards, I catch her as she falls, and lower her down to the sidewalk. Even as Messiah, the Emperor is far taller than me. Just as I've set the girl down, I'm thrown across the courtyard by a punch from my opponent. Gritting my teeth and struggling to my feet, I prepare a spell.

"Megidalaon!" I yell, and a burst of golden light engulfs the hulking Shadow, wounding it. Creeping towards me, the Emperor reaches out and moves to slash me with its sword—but too slowly, and by the time its blade is coming down I've already moved. Dodging away from it, I take a position on the opposite side of the yard and ready another spell. There's no way I can take this thing on up close, after all. Between the reach of that sword, and how strong it is, I wouldn't stand a chance.

I cast Megidalaon once again, causing the creature to stagger back, before continuing its course towards me. Stopping a few meters away, it gives a wild swing of its sword. Leaping off the ground, the attack misses me, and is almost returned with a third Megidalaon, only for me to be hit by an unexpected attack from behind. What was it that struck me? I glance around. The Empress looms, scepter raised high. Getting to my feet as quickly as I can, I attempt to strike her with a punch, but miss. A painful wave of fire sears through me as she takes advantage of my terrible aim.

Meanwhile, the Emperor swings his sword, and crashes it down on me, causing me to let out a cry of anguish. I'm losing this battle—I can't take on two Shadows at once. They're tougher than the last time I fought them, and all their attacks are concentrated on me. For a moment, I ponder the thought of retreat, then decide against it. If I was able to win against Nyx, then I can take on her weak spawn.

Both my enemies land another blow—a second fire spell from the Empress, and a kick to keep me down from the Emperor.

"Aaargh!" Overwhelmed by the pain, and my determination to win this battle, I let loose, entering a berserk state, just like I did when Souji and I took on the Priestess Shadow. Gripping my hands into the cracks between the brick ground, I drag myself to my feet, and give a death glare to the Empress. She will be my first target.

There's a blur of fighting. A horrible showdown between the two Shadows and I, black blood spurting everywhere. It's dizzying—I can hardly tell what's going on, and the only thing I can ascertain is that I'm winning. As the world contorts further and further, I lose myself until I'm totally unaware of the things I'm doing to these Shadows that have _dared_ to attack Gekkoukan. My fists clench around a stiff arm and wrench it off, throwing it away, before wrapping around the mask of the Emperor. I'm tearing it apart, piece by piece, until it's a mess of body parts, scattered around the courtyard. _I leap at the Empress…_

And then I come to my senses in a pool of severed limbs—which fade into nothing in the span of a few seconds. Loud screams echo all around me, screams I wasn't even aware of until now. The girl I saved cries nearby, staring at me with damp eyes. All the windows are lined with sickened faces. Souji's eyes show horror, and I can tell he's imagining things. How the battle would have been if he was the beheaded Shadow, turned into a rag doll and thrown around like a toy- like he so nearly was when we tackled the Priestess. I'm glad he's safe, up in that building. And I'm glad that my eyes are slowly closing, letting me slip away from the horror of what I've just done…

_Oh, hell, what I've just done…_


	4. Hierophant and Lovers

"Thanks for coming out with us, Ken." I lead Souji and Ken down a street to where I feel the signal coming from. A weak flow of energy, signaling the presence of another Arcana Shadow—another opponent for us to face.

"No problem. After what happened at school last month, I didn't want to leave Souji alone with you… No offence, Minato."

"None taken." Putting my fists up, I mime a few punches into the air. I don't want to be caught with my guard down this time. I can't risk going berserk again—like last month, as Ken says. I'm lucky that everyone forgot about it within an hour. Lucky for the Shadows, and the memory loss they bring. Only Ken and Souji remember now. Souji eyes me warily, as I perform a strong uppercut into nothing.

"Careful, Minato," He chuckles. "Don't want to hurt us, right?" I glare at his joke.

"Ha-ha, very funny, Souji." Behind me, Ken slows his walk.

"Hey, guys, any idea where we're going?" I focus on the presence. My skill isn't nearly as powerful as Fuuka's, and I find it difficult to pinpoint exact locations, along with other fine details, but it helps us track our opponents, at the very least. I sense power coming from down the street- a seedy back alley.

"Down that way." I motion toward the epicenter of the energy waves. Souji tightens his muscles, and brings his sword up.

"Any idea what we're up against?" I shake my head.

"No." A thrum of sound echoes through the streets, coming from the alleyway I've sensed. Ken raises his spear into a position ready for battle. The three of us edge closer to the corner—closer, closer…

"Hyaa!" Dashing ahead before we can check around it, Souji gives a wide swing of his blade, but hits nothing. Wait—there, further down! It's the next Arcana Shadow… the Hierophant.

"Careful, this one can be tough." I warn Ken, just before he can rush out into the battle. I'm less gung-ho than these two. I can't afford to be careless, not when one wrong move could lead to… no, don't think about that Minato. Don't remember the blood. I almost feel sick, but I force back any hint of nausea, put my fists up. Ready for action, I guess. Souji plunges his katana deep into the Hierophant, and pulls it quickly back out. Ken digs his spear into the ground and throws himself around it, kicking our foe. Even though he's much taller now—almost my height—Ken still fights like he did in his S.E.E.S days.

I hang back a bit longer, and admire his attacks. They may essentially be the same, but each one carries with it a finesse that it never used to. Ken's definitely matured well. Deciding I've watched for long enough, I charge in, and deliver a punch to the bulbous body of the Hierophant, knocking it down.

"Let's go." Souji growls, sword at the ready.

"Yeah!" Ken agrees. I nod in approval of their move. After a moment, the three of us are on the Shadow—punching, stabbing, slicing. By the time the dust clears, the Hierophant is hardly able to find its feet, stumbling about clutching its swollen torso. Gritting his teeth, Ken dives towards it and makes a leap into the air, slamming his spear into its head, causing it to truly collapse. Prying his weapon from the Shadow, he staggers back, as it disappears into a puff of purple-black smoke.

"Too easy," Souji places his sword on one shoulder, yawning all the while. "Can we go home yet, Minato?" I focus again, and sense another disturbance nearby. Which Shadow is this? Before I can answer, I feel lost for words, in need of a deep breath—like I'm choking up underwater. Trying to pry invisible hands from my throat, I collapse to the ground, only to realize that it's not another one of my fainting spells- Souji and Ken are down too. Reaching out to Souji, I manage a single word before my world turns black.

"_Souji_…"

This bed is soft, like lying on a pile of feathers. In the background, water shuts off, followed by the sound of a door opening. I glance up behind me. It's Souji—his hair dripping from his shower, wearing only a pair of black jeans. Winking at me, he sprawls himself out on the bed.

"Like the room?" He asks. Of course I do—it's all decked out in reds and pinks, with sumptuous fabrics and luxurious furnishings. The utmost of romantic locations.

"I love i—" Before I can finish my sentence, Souji's mouth is pressed against mine, his tongue venturing into my mouth slowly, slowly. After my surprise disappears, I grab his face and return the kiss, closing my eyes tightly shut. Forever passes. We pull ourselves away from each other, but the movement seems like it takes all of our willpower. It might well have.

"That was heavenly." Souji whispers, before drawing back off the bed and wandering back into the bathroom. When he returns, he's drying his hair off with a towel. I suddenly feel a hint of jealousy enter me. I haven't had a shower in forever. Not since… not since that time at Junpei's! Oh, hell, what are we doing? Souji gazes at me longingly, and I struggle to remain sensible. I'm not falling for this trick again—I should have known the Lovers would be prowling about! Damn it, this is all a spell… Souji continues to stare, looking hurt by my sudden seriousness. I've got to snap him out of it.

"Hey, Minato, what's wrong?" He's still under the Lovers' influence. My Souji would never be so openly concerned. Turning away, I steel myself; there's only one way I can deal with this. "Minato?" Taking in a deep breath, I look back at him. I've got to give him a shock, and I can't think of any other way of doing that. Clenching my fist tight, I grit my teeth, then throw a punch at his cheek. He's too slow to dodge, and it collides with a sickening _thunk_. One blink. Two blinks. His eyes turn dewy for a moment, then spark into a puzzled expression.

"We, uh… where are we?" Good. He's back to normal. "Did you just… hit me?" I shake my head. He doesn't need to know that I punched him. I just want to forget about it.

"Don't worry." Noticing his lack of a shirt, Souji gets up off the bed.

"And why am I…? … Ah, hell." Not bothering to question me, he walks into the bathroom yet again. I spot that my bow's come undone, and re-tie it quickly, just in time for when he returns to the bedroom, fully dressed this time.

"We were being controlled by the Lovers," I inform him, before he can say so much as a word. "It's somewhere around here." Souji folds his arms, and nods.

"Alright." Looks like it's time for me to sniff out that Shadow… but, hey, wait, I feel like I'm forgetting something.

… That's right. We don't have Ken.

"Where's Ken?" Souji shakes his head at my question.

"Dunno. We should go look for him." Good enough idea. I stuff my hands into my pockets, and stride towards the door, Souji tailing close behind. Drawing one hand out, I push it open, and lead Souji into the hallway.

"Looks like we're in a love hotel." If the color scheme wasn't enough of a clue to begin with, that is.

"'Course we are," Souji replies, before pointing down a hallway. "Shall we get looking?" I nod, before jogging off down the hallway he pointed to. A moment later, Souji joins me, holding his sword high, ready to fight if he has to. I feel oddly safe with him at my side like this… Like I'm not in a love hotel, hunting Shadows, but somewhere entirely different, where I don't have to worry about being a Persona, and having been declared dead two years ago. A few meters in front of us, a door begins to swing open, causing Souji to freeze, readying himself for a fight. From it staggers a drowsy-looking Ken, his chestnut brown hair in a total mess, his eyes only half open. Immediately falling from his tensed pose, Souji dashes over to Ken.

"You okay?" He asks, somewhat half-heartedly. Ken blinks at him wearily, before clicking into action.

"I… think so," He grumbles. "Something's up, though, I saw some pretty weird things in there."

"I know." Souji and I say, perfectly in unison. Sharing a glance, he and I can't help but smile. Like Persona, like user, I suppose.

"Any idea where we're heading now, then?" Ken stands his spear on one end next to him.

"Give Minato a minute." On cue, I focus on finding the Lovers. They aren't on this floor—I ascertain that almost immediately. With a bit more searching, I figure out that the Shadow hides on the next level up.

"Floor three." Ken nods, and then begins to sprint off. Souji is quick to follow. After a moment of watching them dash away, I join their running. A corner, then another, then a flight of stairs, chasing that distinct aura of a Shadow. Finally, a long, empty landing. The three of us freeze, panting.

"Are you ready?" Souji asks Ken and I, looking between us. I smile, as does Ken. "… Then let's go." Sword raised high, Souji presses on, running at full speed towards the door at the other end of the landing. Once again, Ken and I tail behind. Pushing the door open ahead of us, Souji disappears inside. One step, two step… all three of us are in. In front of us floats a giant heart-shaped Shadow.

"Appropriate." Souji chuckles, before leaping at it.

"Let's take it down!" Ken slams his spear into the heart, with a twisted grin on his face, like he's pleased to be fighting it. He must've had a bad dream, to be trying so desperately to kill the Lovers.

"Minato… a little help?!" Souji calls out, as he dives at the Shadow, and runs it through with his sword.

"Right." Springing at our opponent, I throw a punch at it… only to be thrown back by a powerful fire spell. Slamming into the wall behind me, I grimace, my head cracking back with a loud, unpleasant noise. My hair becomes wet with blood at the point of impact, and my eyes flicker open and closed… open and closed. Souji turns my way for a moment, but it isn't long until his attention is drawn back to the fight. Come on… isn't this the part where I turn into Messiah? Why isn't anything happening?

Open… Closed.

Open… Closed.

Open… Closed.

… And suddenly, that familiar surge of strength as I contort into my natural form. Getting to my feet as the dizziness subsides, I glance towards the Lovers. I narrow my eyes. Raising one arm up, I reach out.

"Megidalaon!" In a burst of golden light, the Shadow disappears. Ken and Souji fall back from it.

"Geez, Minato, some warning next time, please!" Souji growls, dusting himself off. Ken looks towards me, and seems to startle a bit when he notices that I've changed into Messiah.

"It's so strange seeing you like that up close," Taking a few steps closer, he gazes into my eyes, as though mystified by the icy blue color they've adopted. "It almost reminds me of Ryoji."

"Wait, who's Ryoji?" Souji asks Ken, at the same time as shooting me a look that reads '_change back now, please_'.

"I'm not the one to ask." Ken points to me, as I envelop myself in light and return to human form.

"Same question." Souji's dead eyes stare at me. That intensity again… I don't want to talk about Ryoji, but Souji's emotionless eyes are coaxing the words out of me regardless. So enchanting…

"… This is going to be a long story." I sigh, hoping to dissuade him.

"I'm listening."

I know you are, Souji, I know you are… and that's what makes me scared. How do I know you won't hate me for the way I can be compared to someone who nearly ended the world? My head says you won't, but the rest of me won't believe it.

And the guilt of not being able to trust you is unbearable.


	5. Chihiro

My foot splashes in a puddle, as Souji and I run through the rain, lacking umbrellas or rain coats.

"The entrance isn't far now!" He calls to me, as we round a corner, hugging the building tight. With a deep breath, I dig my feet in the slightest bit more, and hurtle down the street at lightning pace, Souji at my heel. Catching the door just before it closes on us, I launch into the movie theatre, and stop my sprint with the speed at which I started. Panting, I run a hand through my hair, for it to come away wet, unsurprisingly. Sticking the other one in too, I shake out some of the water with my fingers, then smooth it back down. I'll have to head around to Junpei's after the movie to clear out the rest.

"What was it that we're seeing, again?" I ask Souji, as he strolls past me casually, totally soaked but not bothered by the damp at all.

"Dunno." I'm almost annoyed by the way he nonchalantly confirms my fears—that we had plenty of time, and that we could've just gone back and grabbed umbrellas.

"So why didn't we—"

"Go back? Come on, Minato. You saw how awkward it was in there." Right. Souji's parents. Today was the day he finally decided to introduce me to them, and it wasn't the best of encounters. I can't remember which one had me more worried; his mother, shouting about how I looked so gorgeous that she (and I quote) 'wanted to keep me for herself'; or his father, trying to chase his son from the house.

It made me wonder how my parents would've reacted if the same thing had happened to them. Would they have tossed me out for being in love with another guy? Or would they have taken it okay? Would my mother have chased after Souji? From what little I can remember of my parents, with their sweet smiles and bubbly natures, I think that I would've been okay, but there's no way I'll ever be sure of that. Glancing to Souji, I notice his eyes have clouded over in thought. He's probably wondering, too. "… Come on." He finally says, after what feels like an eternity.

"Let's go pick a movie." I don't feel so angry now, I realize. He would've needed that run to blow off steam. Besides, I'm not out of breath any more. The next few minutes are a blur—choosing out a superficial action flick, to take our minds off Souji's parents. Loading our arms full of popcorn buckets at the snack bar. The odd looks from people around us, as we wander up to the theatre doors—doubtless stemming from the fact Souji and I are holding hands. Our first 'date', as it were… But there's a niggling feeling in the depths of my stomach; that something other than Souji's parents is going to go wrong. Shaking the unease away, I lead my boyfriend—there, I said it, my _boyfriend_—to our seats.

"Row B." I tell him, peering over the tickets, easily able to see despite the darkness. I guess there are some perks to being a Persona, if you look for them. Night vision is one such thing.

"Damn, we've missed the start." Souji's hand forms a fist, which he crashes onto the top of an abandoned seat. Shuffling along the row, he soon finds our seats, and sits down, plonking his bucket of popcorn on the floor. Taking the seat beside him, I follow suit, setting down my large popcorn and two drinks, before slipping my ice-cream into the cup holder. Glancing up at the screen, I tense as I watch the main character shoot his way through a horde of low-budget demons. Trust Souji to pick something violent. I had been hoping for a movie that was maybe even slightly cultured… Oh well. Anything for him.

A few minutes in, I find Souji's hand winding around mine, as an innocent, doe-eyed girl is introduced to the vicious landscape of the movie. Is that meant to be some kind of sign? Is Souji comparing me to that girl? An eyebrow raised, I dive my hand down in front of my seat, and find one of my drinks. Taking a long gulp from it, I gasp a sigh of relief. The moment I return to sitting upright, Souji is onto me again. He's so forward. His grip tightens, as the girl is attacked by a demon upon entering the subway. Before any harm can befall her, however, the hyper-masculine hero arrives, toting a huge pistol, and blasts the creature away. Souji steals a look at me, a smug grin appearing on his face.

"You're enjoying this," I whisper, to which he sniggers:

"Of course I am," I should have known he'd be the sort for these movies; anything he can compare himself to attracts his ego, after all. For someone almost as quiet as I am, Souji is quite cocky. The heroine and the hero glance at each other, a spark of love setting off between them, before the scene switches to the demon overlord, sitting in a throne, looking bored out of his mind. Souji's attention swings from the movie and onto me. "You okay, Minato?" He asks.

"Yeah." I reply.

"Not faint? Or sick?" And of course, he brings that up.

"I'm absolutely fine, Souji." About a week back, Souji and I managed to defeat the Chariot and Justice Arcana Shadows. Following the battle, I've been passing out randomly, and changing into Messiah. A dangerous sort of week to be going to the movies, but if the trend continues, then my illness is only going to get worse. A moment after the words leave my mouth, I feel faint. My eyes flicker open and closed. Sensing something is wrong, Souji wraps an arm around me, and pulls me close.

"Come on, Minato, stay awake…" He grumbles, cupping my cheek in his hand.

"No… I'm… I'm fine…" I desperately try and assert that I'm not going to pass out, even though I know that I'm lying to myself.

"Like hell you are." Planting his lips on mine, I'm startled awake by Souji's sudden action.

"Souji! What're you—"

"Quiet, I'm watching the movie." With nothing more than a wink to show that anything ever happened, Souji does, indeed, resume watching the movie, but the occasional glance is sent my way to check that I'm okay. The next two hours pass quietly, as Souji absorbs himself in the simplistic movie, and I absorb myself in Souji. Before I know it, he and I are walking back out of the theatre, holding huge amounts of rubbish. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't gone back to the snack bar a few times. Dumping two popcorn buckets, two cups, an ice-cream wrapper and a cookie packet into the rubbish, I dash ahead to keep up with Souji.

"Where're we going now?" My hand finds his.

"Wanna head to Paulownia? The CD store's having a sale." I nod without a second thought. I've been wanting to track down some of my old albums for a while, after all. We walk slowly to the exit from the theatre, without another word. Pressing open the door, he offers it to me. "You go first." I begin to walk through, but feel a hand on my shoulder. Turning slowly around, I expect to see Junpei, or Chidori—one of my friends. I'm given the shock of a lifetime when it's someone entirely different.

"Chihiro?" My brunette ex-girlfriend looks almost as horrified as I feel. This wasn't supposed to happen—this was _never _supposed to happen. It can't be real.

"How could you be…?" She removes her hand from my shoulder, and presses it to her mouth, trembling. "… I thought you were _dead_!" After a long pause, she shrieks those painful words at me. I want to say something, but it's almost as though my lips are buttoned shut. I can't think of a single word to say. I can't explain any of this to her. She'd never understand.

"I went to your funeral!" Souji creeps up behind me, trying to comfort me and provide emotional support. But there's nothing that could help sooth the aches this encounter brings. "Everyone did! I saw you lying there in that casket… how could you possibly be alive after that?" Clutching my hand in his, Souji whispers a few words in my ear:

"We'll leave the moment you say to." I want to run right now, but my legs are rooted to the spot.

"How are you even alive?" She scrunches her eyes up behind her glasses, every muscle in her body tensing in a mix of anger and surprise. _Okay Minato_. I tell myself. _You deserve this. _

"I can't tell you how, or why, Chihiro, but—"

"Then don't say anything at all! Like you always used to: just keep quiet." Suddenly, her eyes dart to Souji.

"You look familiar too." She whispers. Souji smiles in response.

"You were the girl who showed us around Gekkoukan last year, weren't you? I was one of the people on the trip from Inaba. Souji." He lets go of my hand, and gives his own to Chihiro. She grips it, after a moment of hesitation, and then shakes it weakly.

"Chihiro." Bowing her head slightly to him, Chihiro can't help but look at me anxiously. As their hands break apart, I immediately reclaim Souji's.

"I'm sorry, but like Minato says, we can't tell you anything about what happened to him. It'd be best if you didn't mention him to anyone else, too," Souji's expression is surprisingly grave. He's really taking this seriously. "I'm sure, someday, we'll be able to come clean." Chihiro stares up at Souji through slightly clouded glasses, before turning away from us and beginning to walk in the opposite direction.

"… Bye, Minato." I feel dizziness sweep through me, nearly knocking me to the ground.

"See ya, Chihi—" My words are cut short as I fall into Souji's arms. Chihiro glances back, and, watching me fall, looks frightened for a moment. Souji, as quick to act as ever, helps me find my feet and, allowing me to lean the bulk of my weight on him, walks towards the bathroom—only a few meters away, thank heavens. Shooting her a final smile before Souji and I disappear into the toilets, I feel my eyes flutter closed. Everything is a sick, dizzy blur to me now.

"Minato, come on." Souji shoves us into a cubicle, and locks the door behind him.

"Souji…"

"Quick, fade away before something happens." I'm a little startled by how frank his words are, but I recognize the importance of them. I nod, and concentrate on disappearing. In what I'd assume to be the nick of time, I return to Souji. Suddenly I can see again, even if it is through his eyes. With a sad smile, he unlocks the door and walks out into the bathroom again. Bending over a basin, and cupping water in his hands, he splashes it over his face. For a moment, I can't tell why, but then I look in the mirror.

He's disguising the fact that he's crying.


	6. Hermit

Boxing gloves: check. Weird herbal curatives: check. Strange, inhuman powers: check. Okay, I'm ready. Strolling into Club Escapade, I pray to every deity I can think of that no-one working here notices the fact my pockets are stuffed with bizarre drinks from the health club across the mall. After wandering past a rather intimidating bouncer, I'm pleased to find myself in the club, with its flashing, multi-colored lights, and loud music. Good. Part one of my plan is a success. Looking out across the dance floor, I notice a door leading through to an abandoned back room. Now it's time for the tricky part.

Wrapping my hands around something in my pocket, I draw it slowly out. A gem left over from my days in S.E.E.S… I've been saving it for something like this. Creeping around the sides of the room until I'm near the door, I ready myself… and then throw the gem. A plume of smoke rises from it, before exploding into a thick fog that covers the entire room. I snap immediately into action—sprinting over to the door, I twist it, praying that it's unlocked. It is. Slipping through, I transform briefly into Messiah, using my powers to seal the door behind me. I can't have anyone being hurt in my fight. Satisfied that no-one's going to burst in, I break into a run, hurtling down the staircase in front of me and into the basement. Thrums of electrical magic buzz through the air. Raising my fists, I take a deep breath, before unlocking the door in front of me. Swinging it open, I spot a four-legged creature, made entirely out of what seems to be wire, staring at me from the centre of the room.

The Hermit.

The monster's crouches, preparing to strike. I notice the wires comprising its legs are connected into the power supply for Club Escapade. Damn, I remember this guy. Deciding to get a head start on me, the Shadow sends a spark of electricity in my direction. I duck beneath the arc, before diving in, and delivering a swift punch to my opponent. The monster barely flinches.

"Crap." I'm sent flying back mere moments later, colliding with the hard concrete. Sliding down to the floor, I groan, as Messiah's power floods out of me, changing me back into my natural form. The pain disappears in seconds, and I'm on my feet. Raising an arm into the air, I close my eyes. Megidalaon. I don't even say the word—the golden light just bathes the Shadow at a single thought, submersing it in almighty energy. As the glow subsides, the Hermit looks extremely weak. As my human qualities weaken, Messiah's strength grows. My spells and physical power are incredible to behold now. I can almost destroy even an Arcana Shadow with my Megidalaon… but the strength does nothing but scare me.

If I'm growing so powerful, who's to say that Souji won't be hurt in the crossfire at some stage? We've been fighting since the evening a month or two ago where we took out Justice and Chariot. Sure, there've been a few fun, calm days, but it's been pretty tense overall. Today when I sensed this new Shadow, our arguments culminated in a final explosion between us. Souji, determined to help me, and me, determined not to let Souji get hurt. I had sensed the Arcana Shadow, I knew it was coming… and so I left without telling him where to go. My pathetic way of protecting him… and, knowing Souji, it probably won't work.

The Shadow cranes its head towards me, its eyes narrowed. Letting out a snarl, it readies another bolt of electricity. Firing the attack off at me, I find myself dodging out of the way automatically, returning fire with a second Megidalaon. The Hermit seizes up, and then lets out a pained roar, before finally collapsing into dark energy. And then it hits me.

My blood boils with pain, as I fall to my knees, feeling my entire body ache. Every part of me wishes for death as agony sweeps through me. I reach two huge hands to my head and grip my hair, letting out a silent scream. I feel hot tears seep down my cheeks. Another reason why I wanted Souji to stay away—I didn't want him to see me break down like this. Like I always do. With each Shadow defeated, the pain following the battle is greater—it's changed from rage, now. I feel sorrow each time. Why?

My eyes shudder closed, and don't re-open for quite some time.

When they finally do, I'm surrounded by people. And these 'people' include Souji.

"About time," He chuckles. My eyes skim over the others gathered around me—a pretty blonde boy, a girl with deep blue hair, a guy wearing a skull-emblazoned shirt, and a girl who I think I've seen somewhere before. "Minato, meet my friends." The familiar-looking girl raises a hand and waves at me cheerfully, but I can see she's worried beneath that. I sit up and nearly fall back down again, but Souji holds me steady. I'm in Souji's living room, and his parents are nowhere in sight. It's light outside. At least a day must've passed—last time I looked out a window, it was pitch black.

"How did you find me?" I ask, my eyes still fixated on the girl. She's got nice brown hair, and her lips are smeared with gloss. A little too plain for my tastes, though. The blonde boy is the one to answer.

"Rise dragged us out to play king's game with her again, but the club got all smoky so we decided to investigate," He shoots a sneaky glance in the direction of the brunette girl. "You never did fulfill my commands, Rise." The girl—she must be Rise-- flushes bright red.

"What did you expect, Teddie? Askin' somethin' like that…" The skull-shirt guy sends a nervous glance to the blonde boy, Teddie.

"King's game, king's game." Teddie taunts.

"Stop fooling around, everyone. We should explain what happened to Minato." The other girl finally speaks her voice deep and somewhat masculine. Souji nods in agreement.

"Yeah," Stepping back from me, he motions to Rise. "Minato, this is Rise. She's an ex-idol." Rise smiles, and I realize why she seemed kind of familiar: I've seen her on an ad before.

"Nice to meet you!" Next Souji indicates to skull-shirt.

"This is Kanji."

"'Sup man?" And then to Teddie.

"Teddie," Finally, to the blue-haired girl. "And Naoto." Naoto raises her hat to me silently.

"These are some more of my friends from Inaba," And then, in through the doorway, steps a tired looking Yosuke, followed by Junpei. "And Yosuke's back too." Both Yosuke and Junpei acknowledge me briefly, before launching into a tired discussion about some comic I've never heard of.

"Why're they all here? You never mentioned—"

"Neither did they. They just showed up, out of the blue, on a school trip. Yosuke's tagging along with them because—uh, Yosuke, you never did explain that." In the meantime, Yosuke has managed to steal Junpei's hat, angry over some disagreement. Freezing at Souji's words, the Magicians find themselves caught in an interesting pose, which they slowly descend out of, Yosuke quietly passing Junpei's hat back.

"I'm bunking the senior trip," He affirms, looking a little bothered. "… A glorified tour of Tokyo's red light district." Souji looks unsurprised.

"Kashiwagi."

"Yep, got her again this year. Bad luck, iddinit partner?" Souji nods, turning away from Junpei and Yosuke, who resume their war over the hat. Yosuke's lightning-quick hands snatch it from Junpei's head, causing Junpei to panic. I give up trying to follow their battle and return attention to Souji.

"These guys are staying downtown," He says, before shooting a glance Yosuke's direction. "'Cept him. He's with us. He arrived late last night while you were off Shadow-hunting. Alone, might I add? Don't be so stupid next time." I look pitifully into Souji's eyes, but he gives me a slightly annoyed eyebrow raise back.

"They're here for about four or five days, visiting Gekkoukan." Naoto nods at Souji's words.

"From the uniform, I'm assuming you're a student there, Minato." She looks me over cautiously. I'd be worried too, if I had rescued a guy from the basement of a nightclub.

"You didn't tell them?" Of course, right now, I have my own things to be worried about. Souji shakes his head; no.

"I thought I'd leave it to you." I stare into Naoto's eyes.

"… I'm an ex-student." I tell her, after a long pause as I weighed up whether or not to explain.

"Then why do you still wear the uniform?" Kanji butts into the conversation. "Doesn't it get annoying?" I can tell from his less-than-perfect attire he's not much one for following rules.

"I have nothing else to wear. It never gets dirty, besides. Find me a good reason to, and maybe I'll change out of it sometime." I feel like my reply is kind of rude, but I can't take it back now.

"Nothing else to wear?" Rise and Kanji say in unison, both looking shocked. Kanji's eyes lock onto Souji. "Don't tell me this guy lives with you, Souji." He groans. Souji nods.

"Minato, share now, before they start lecturing me." I roll my eyes a bit at Souji's insensitivity, before smiling charmingly at the quartet of friends before me.

"I'm Souji's Persona." May as well get it out there quickly, I suppose.

"… The fuck?" Kanji doesn't look too pleased with my explanation.

"How does that even work, Souji?" Rise looks concerned as well. "I-I mean he's human, isn't he?" Teddie gives a knowing smile.

"You didn't smell it, Rise?" The brunette shakes her head.

"What?"

"Minato doesn't smell human. His scent is un-bear-ably like a Shadow's, even." Teddie laughs at his own joke, even though it wasn't funny.

"But he's not huge or anything. Aren't Personae usually, ya know, intimidating?" I already know I won't be allowed to show them Messiah. Souji'd kill me, and his upstairs bathroom would be ruined. I'm too tall for conventional homes when I'm like that.

"Don't make him show you how he really looks." Souji once again comes to my rescue.

"I think you need to explain this to us, Souji." Naoto steps nearer to me, looking sternly at my boyfriend. Souji nods, before beckoning to Yosuke and Junpei, urging them to stop fighting.

"Come on, you two, help Minato and I explain all this." Both boys crash down into seated positions on the floor. I move my legs off the sofa which I'm propped up on, to allow Rise and Naoto to sit down. Kanji, Teddie and Souji take the floor as well.

"So, Minato, where to begin?" Junpei asks, smiling at me.

"I guess we should go from the beginning."

"Which one?" He responds. "The beginning-beginning, or you and Souji?" I laugh, very quietly.

"Which one do you think?" Junpei grins.

"Should have known. Well, guys, about twelve, thirteen years ago, Minato was in a car accident…"

And my past comes pouring out.


	7. Fortune and Strength

A chorus of heavy breathing approaches me in the form of the Investigation team, their clothes drenched in sweat and their hair glued to their faces. Kanji's arm is covered in blood, presumably his own. Yosuke is pale, shaking slightly, looking like he's sick with something. But they're all alive. Ken and Souji tail behind them, both looking smug.

"Did you kill them?" I ask. Kanji's smirk is all the answer I need. Beside me, Rise relaxes noticeably.

"Thank god," She releases her hand from its grip on my arm. "Do any of you need healing?" Getting to her feet, she holds up a vial of herbal medicine. Kanji nods, but it's clear he's not looking forward to drinking the potion.

"Here." Rise hands it to him, and he downs it in a quick gulp. The blood on his arm begins to fade, his wound scabbing over almost instantaneously.

"Thanks." Rubbing the wound gently, Kanji looks satisfied with how it's healing, and smiles.

"So, Fortune and Strength are down, then?" I query.

"Yes," Souji says, taking another bottle of liquid from Rise, and using his spare hand to force Yosuke's mouth open. In one swift movement, he forces the contents of the bottle down Yosuke's throat. "That makes eleven, doesn't it?" Yosuke's skin returns to its normal color, and his eyes fill with life.

"Mm. Magician, Priestess, Emperor, Empress, Lovers, Hierophant, Justice, Chariot, Hermit, Fortune, Strength," I count the Arcana on my fingers. "Only two more to go." Yosuke casts a healing spell on the fighters, replenishing their energy.

"Two more?" Naoto looks at me worriedly. "What makes you say that?"

"The first time they turned up, we fought thirteen Arcana Shadows. The eleven I've just listed, the Hanged Man, and Death. It was a sign that the end of the world was coming." Rise and Kanji appear startled by my news, while the others entertain serious expressions and frozen poses.

"So you think we're in for the end of the world?" Kanji grumbles.

"Maybe." Is the best response I can come up with.

"But the Dark Hour hasn't shown up, or any of the other things that signaled the last Fall," Ken steps forward, spear slung over one shoulder, looking skeptical. "It can't be Nyx, can it?"

"We don't know for sure, Ken, if it can be or can't be. I think the only reason we got any warning last time was because of Aegis dividing Ryoji into pieces."

"… Pieces..." Naoto looks thoughtful, her eyes glazing over slightly as she plunges into the depths of logic and reasoning.

"So you think we're just going to watch the world end one day, without any clue of when it's going to happen?" I shake my head.

"We have a clue, though. The Arcana Shadows. If all goes as planned, Ryoji'll be coming back as Death, and he should be willing to buy us time to prepare to battle Nyx." Her eyes glittering with life again, Naoto glances about us.

"You explained Ryoji to us a few days ago, correct? And you said he was your Shadow, your Persona, as it were," I don't see the relevance, but yeah, Naoto's right. "Everyone, I want you to think about something. Could a Shadow have a Persona?" Teddie steps forward, looking a bit annoyed.

"C'mon, Naoto, I've got a Persona, and I'm… ya know."

"Yes, Teddie, but you've completely disowned the idea of being one. For Minato, it's a very real problem, his Shadow-nature, and what I'm wondering is whether or not it would be possible for him to summon Ryoji as he once was while he's in such a condition," I think I see where she's going with this… "Every Shadow has to have a human to imitate, and Personae are simply tamed Shadows. What if, in becoming a Shadow, Minato has forced Ryoji into a human body?" What indeed.

"You think this Ryoji guy is gonna be human?" Kanji seems confused by our discussion.

"Perhaps. But regardless of the scenario, I have a hunch about one thing—that Minato is the—"

"The thirteenth Shadow." I whisper.

"Your unusual behavior after defeating each Shadow, and the way it becomes harder and harder for you to return to human form after each battle… Do you think the Shadows are becoming part of you, like they once did with Ryoji?" Naoto queries, and before I can stop myself, I'm confirming her fears.

"… Yes."

"… I see." Everyone goes quiet, looking fearful. Souji's eyes are downcast, deliberately avoiding mine. Kanji shuffles uncomfortably where he stands, and Yosuke folds his arms tightly, looking almost angrily at Naoto for daring to ask what we were all thinking.

"We'll have to kill you too. That's how it's going to be, isn't it, Minato?" Souji finally asks. Ken, remembering our encounter with Ryoji several years ago, moves nearer to me, locking his gaze with Souji's.

"If we kill the thirteenth Arcana, our memory might disappear." He informs them. "That'd stop us from fighting Nyx at all."

"I don't think that'd happen this time," Rise speaks up, for once. "After all, Teddie is one of them, and as long as he's around, we can't forget, right?"

"Probably," Naoto gives an almost-smile to Teddie. "But we can't be sure." Taking several short, slow steps, I make my way to Souji. Reaching his side, I smile as he takes my hand in his, trying to comfort me. I'm amazed at how calm I am at all this talk of killing me.

"Everyone. We have to look ahead. Ken and Minato have had different experiences with Shadows to ours, and it looks like our two separate worlds are mixing." Souji's words command the attention of all the Investigation team. "We've got to think of all this hypothetically, because the moment our two parties made contact, the moment Minato became my Persona, we crossed two sets of laws with each other."

"Nyx and Izanami—their Persona users have united, and now everything is uncertain. Please, let's not assume anything." Joining Souji in giving advice, I add a nervous smile to the end of my sentence, hoping to reassure the Investigation team and Ken. They all look slightly less confused for Souji and I speaking. Another silence envelopes us… only this time, it's broken by Ken.

"… Minato, do you know what day it is?" I glance up at the sky as I struggle to remember what important date I've forgotten. It's not Ken's birthday, is it? No, it can't be, that was earlier… I look around the alleyway we're all gathered in. Rise and I dashed in here after I was injured by the Strength, so I wouldn't be driven berserk. I kept trying to head back into the fray after my injury had healed (courtesy of that disgusting healing potion) but she refused to let me. Something about 'Souji's orders'… stupid Souji.

"… No, sorry." Definitely coming up blank. Ken smiles vaguely, before tossing his eyes up to the moon. The full, yellow moon.

"Shinjiro died three years ago to the day," Oh, hell. I remember now. And this is—this is the alleyway he died in. Ken gently pushes Yosuke out of the way, and takes up a casual stance. Raising one hand, he mimes firing a gun. Lowering the arm again, he looks at me sadly. "It was a night like this... remember? Takaya was here, and Shinji' was where you were standing." All the Investigation team is held spellbound by Ken's actions.

"This isn't a night to be discussing death, Minato. We should look to the future—isn't that what you convinced S.E.E.S to do back in the day?" Ken's right. "Shinjiro wanted us all to survive this. Let's not even _think _of killing anyone tonight." Over the past few years, I realize that Ken's grown in more ways than just his height. He's finally realized what Shinjiro and everyone else that died wanted. They wanted the rest of us to live.

"Rise, Kanji, Teddie, Naoto, Yosuke, Souji… Minato… The last two Shadows await us in the future. We can't think about them now," Looking around us, he gives a small smile when he notices our attentive listening. "For Shinjiro's sake, ya know?"

I know, Ken. And I can't believe I had forgotten that I did.


	8. Ryoji?

Pushing open the door, I grin at the sound of the tinkling bell above me. It's a welcoming sound, one I haven't heard in years—that distinct noise of the door at Hagakure, our chosen restaurant for the Investigation team's farewell dinner. Even though Yosuke is sticking around for a few days after this, we still need to say goodbye to the others, right? Ken and Junpei have tagged along for the ride, hoping to score some free food off someone. The delicious smell of ramen wafts to my nose, and before I know it I'm caught under Hagakure's spell.

"C'mon, guys, let's find a table!" Yosuke suggests, looking impatient. He wants his meal badly now that he's inhaled that beautiful scent. The others look equally hungry. Noticing a free table, Souji points to it, and begins to walk towards it. Just before he arrives at it, he steals a chair from the neighboring table and swings it around to join the big, rectangular one we've chosen.

"There," Souji remarks, in a deadpan tone. "Table for eight." Everyone hurries to their seat, save Souji and I. Knowing that whatever they order's going to be a standard dish, I make my way quietly towards the counter. Souji's eyes follow me, while all the others bury their faces in their menus. Leaning across, I pull my most dazzlingly charming smile, while asking for the secret menu item.

"Fine, kid," Looking happily back at me, the chef tilts his head curiously as I begin to walk off. Before I can get away, he puts down his knives and grumbles a question at me. "Hey, have I seen you 'round here before?" He definitely has—I used to be one of his best customers. But of course, three years would've hurt his memory of me. I give a hollow smile back and shake my head.

"No, sir," Looking a little annoyed, he rubs his forehead with the back of one hand.

"You look just like someone I—naaah, that guy died couple of years back. You can't be him, can you?" Turning around and grabbing a ladle, beginning to tend to another dish, he laughs grimly. "It's just that… We changed hands about a year ago, and got rid of the secret menu. I thought everyone knew but… what do you know? I'm just glad to get an order for it again." Stirring the pot in front of him, the chef shrugs.

"Thanks, whoever you are." Waving me away, I return, a little sadder, to my table. I hate having to pretend that I'm not Minato Arisato, but really, if I don't, I'll be in a whole lot of trouble with this town.

"Minato, what were you talking to the chef about?" Rise immediately asks as I take my seat next to Souji. On the other side of me, Yosuke is getting tips from Junpei about which meals to choose. Blocking out the noise, I try to look cheery.

"Just asking what the special is today. Have you all ordered?"

"Yeah," Souji replies, before taking a sip from the glass of water in front of him. "This place has pretty fast service, doesn't it?"

"Mm. It does." I fiddle with a pair of chopsticks in front of me, feeling curiously empty. I haven't been to Hagakure in so long… even after the first impression of it being the same, a lot of subtle things have been altered. They've changed the chairs. The lights are brighter… I think the walls are a lighter color. Has everything gone topsy-turvy in the past three years? Yukari took up hating me as a pastime. Junpei and Chidori moved in together. Ken is nearly out of middle school. Fuuka and Mitsuru left to far, far away. I haven't even heard of what Akihiko's doing now. And Aegis is…

"Look out!" I suddenly spot a glass of water toppling in my direction, and don't react quickly enough to stop it. Water spreads over the table, and up onto my shirt, soaking me. My hair flops limply in front of my eyes.

"Junpei…" I groan, as Yosuke begins to yell at him for getting me wet. Pushing my fringe away so I can see, I can't help but shoot Junpei a glare. A hand touches my thigh. Looking down, I see Rise rubbing her napkin against a wet patch on the bottom of my jacket. Her brow furrows in anger. "Rise, you don't have to—"

"C'mon, Minato," She stops for a moment, and gazes up at me. "You're completely drenched." Souji begins to yell at the Magicians for messing around.

"Chill out, Souji!" Junpei, at least, doesn't seem too concerned by Souji's shouts. Rise continues to scrub at my jacket. I'm in the centre of a zoo; people shrieking at each other around me, playing with my clothes, staring, talking, rubbing, staring, talking, rubbing, staring, talking—

"Can you please just… just stop, Rise?" I feel a headache coming on. The world is beginning to go blurry. I reach out one hand, and push her back away from me. Getting up from my chair quickly enough to knock it over, I mumble a few words: "I'm going to the bathroom." And then power-walk out. Swinging open the door, I make a bee-line for the basins, and run water into my cupped hands. Splashing it onto my face, I'm startled by the cold; good, cold water is what I need. Peeling off my jacket, I can't help but shake my head when I see how wet it is. No wonder Rise was concerned. Shaking it out for a moment, I freeze, as I notice something in the mirror. Chocolate brown hair, and wide, two-tone blue eyes. Snapping my head up, I feel my heart throb with worry as I notice I was just imagining things. Yeah; yeah that's it. I was imagining it.

"Minato," Glancing about, looking for the speaker, I feel unstable again. There's a pang of pain, a brief flash of a moment where my body longs to change into Messiah's, but I force that longing away. I have to control myself. For Souji's sake. "Minato." The voice again. Flicking the tap back on, I throw more and more water at my face. The cold stings, but it keeps me awake nevertheless. What's going on? What's wrong with me? I'm completely alert now.

"Minato…" Again! What's wrong with me? First Messiah, now voices? Could anything worse happen? A hand on my shoulder. I jerk around. Staring me straight in the face, for the briefest of moments, is Ryoji Mochizuki.

I stumble back into the mirror, as the phantom disappears. I'm not too surprised that he showed up. I'm not too worried that he was calling my name. What I do want to know is… is…

_Why is all this happening to __**me**__?_


	9. Hanged Man

There's an anxious air about Souji, as he swaps glances with his mother. In the driver's seat, Souji's father grips the steering wheel tightly, his face turning red with anger. After a tense moment, he twists around, taking advantage of the red light, and gives the most terrifying glare I've seen in all my life.

"Souji Seta, you disgust me," Suddenly, Souji is scared. "You didn't even consult your mother and I about letting that boy into our house last week, and now you say he might be visiting _again_?" Souji is afraid because his father is lecturing him about… me.

"We were fine with you having Hanamura stay, of course, but that's because we knew he wouldn't be doing—"

"Honey, Souji's friend Minato is a sweet kid, and I really don't think he and Souji were up to anything."

"Shut up, Kaori!" Mr. Seta slams his foot down on the accelerator as the lights go green. The car starts forward. Running a hand through his hair, he becomes slack for a moment, before tensing up again and slamming his fist against the steering wheel. The horn shrieks, startling Souji's mother. "How… how the hell am I supposed to trust either of those boys? Souji was a responsible kid until this, Kaori. Now he's dragging his boyfriend over at all hours of the night to do god knows what and he's—"

"Cut it out, dad," Souji growls, interrupting his father's tirade. "I get it. You hate the relationship I have with Minato. You hate that I'm not straight. You can quit the lecture." You can almost hear Souji's father boiling away like a pot on a stove, ready to explode with steam at a moment's notice.

"Not until I make you see that you're wrong about all this. This is just a phase… and as such I'd like it if you didn't invite that Arisato guy into our house any more."

"It's not a phase—I—I—"

"Would the both of you just shut it!" Mrs. Seta shouts suddenly. Father and son look away from each other immediately. Staring out the window, Souji rests his hand on his chin, and stares out into the bright scenery. October—it's getting out of summer now, but the days are still long and sunny, filled with repeated trips with Souji's parents to Port Island for family dinners. Kaori Seta doesn't cook—she thinks she's above that. As such, it's either takeaways, restaurants, or, on the odd occasion he gets home early enough, a showcase of Mr. Takamori Seta's culinary talents. Those are becoming rarer and rarer now, ever since Souji came out about him and I. I feel like I've driven a wedge through this family… It's a painful feeling to carry about.

The car pulls along in silence. Climbing onto the Moonlight Bridge, imperfections in the pavement make small thumps of sound. I don't want to hear them. Hearing something that quiet is worrying. It makes me feel like I'm back in the Seal. If a single sound is made, it's heard perfectly, no matter how quiet—whether it be the soft footfalls of Erebus, half a cosmos away, or Nyx, trying to force the door open from the other side. I don't want to be reminded of that place. But here Souji is, stuck between two entities almost as quiet as Nyx and her herald. Takamori Seta, and his wife Kaori. This is where he gets his headstrong disposition from, it's clear.

Slowly, another sound climbs into the scene… the sound of something spinning, beating the air, like a helicopter. But the noise is much too low to the ground. _Whump-whump-whump-whump_. Mrs. Seta perks up.

"Souji, hon', do you hear anything?" Souji doesn't answer. He's still transfixed by a particularly interesting speck on his window. "Souji?" Takamori grunts angrily.

"Souji, answer your mother when she's speaking to you!" He's still completely out of it. The sound is getting louder. Louder.

Louder.

The car seizes over, hit by a sudden blast. As it flips onto its side, Mrs. Seta lets out a scream, her husband moving to protect her. The metal of the ceiling crumples up onto them, pressing them deep into their seats. No—no—no—no—no… Not again. Not again—not again—not again – not again. In a flash I'm forming my body outside of the car, and trying desperately to get to Souji's door, to set him free. I don't even bother to look and find out what's attacking us- I already know. Try as I might, I can't reach—it's a repeat of 1999. There's only one thing left for me to do.

In the middle of the screaming crowd, I change into Messiah. Now towering several feet taller than a human, I'm able to bend over and move the car off its side, onto its wheels again. Souji is slumped over in his seat. Is he…? No, I notice his chest rising and falling, rising and falling. He's alive. Blood flows from his forehead. In the front seat of the car, Takamori and Kaori are crushed under the metal, obscured from my view. They might still be alive. They might be okay. Transforming back into Minato, I pull on the door as hard as I can, and, after a short struggle, it clicks open.

I throw myself across the seat, and across to the other side of the car, where Souji slumbers. Clicking his seatbelt out, I grab his arm and pull as hard as I can, dragging him out the door that I've opened behind me. After a few moments of tugging, I'm outside again, and Souji is with me. Finally, I can turn my focus to the enemy. Placing Souji on the ground gently, I look skyward. Suspended from a spinning wheel is a vaguely humanoid creature—the Hanged Man. The twelfth Arcana Shadow. Around me, people run, screaming, from the monster.

As much as I want to run, I've got to fight this battle. I'm going to stand my ground, and take this thing on to protect Souji and his family. I'm the one who brought this upon them… they deserve my protection. Without a second glance back at the car, I launch up into the sky, transforming back into Messiah. Opening my arms wide, I reach out as I reach the height of my leap, and grip onto the Shadow's arm. It panics for a moment, trying to shake me off. I stretch out one arm and give a tug at the skin that it uses to dangle from the 'helicopter blades'. With hardly any resistance, it comes loose, and I let go of my opponent, falling back to the ground.

The Hanged Man lets off a burst of magic in my direction, but I dodge quickly out of the way, and prepare a Megidalaon. Before I know it, the spell has erupted from my hands and into the body of my opponent, singing its flesh—putting more strain on its hooks. Another spell, another—and the Hanged Man falls from his blades.

Approaching the downed beast, I spy its helicopter-device erupting into purple-black energy. I don't need to worry about this thing getting back up. Quickening my pace, I fry the creature with yet another Megidalaon. It hurt my Souji. It's not going to die without having the same pain returned, seven times over. Murder the humans, destroy whatever you want, Shadows, but so much as touch my property—my beloved Souji—and I will obliterate you.

… I'm not entirely sure when and why I became so ferocious, but I decide to roll with the punches and pray it's just adrenaline. There's a ripple of strength surging through my veins now… I grab the Hanged Man by its head and surround it with the energy of a dozen more spells. The creature howls. I didn't even know that these things could make noise… oh well. It doesn't matter.

More heat, more ice, more electricity, more wind—I make full use of all the new abilities I've gained. Burn it, freeze it, electrocute it! The Shadow will know every punishment I have to offer before it can so much as think of harming Souji again. It makes groans of noise, loud protests against my cruelty… but nothing can stop me. I'm controlled by rage now. Rage against this beast that thought it could tear away the one thing in my life that matters any more.

There's a final screech of agony, and the Shadow disappears. I border on blacking out for a few seconds, and then there's this curious feeling of… satisfaction. Like I'm whole; a complete being after months spent living a half-life. I never realized how incomplete I was before… And then I open my eyes; not even having realized they were closed.

What I see breaks me. Should I be surprised? Should I, really? It's not like this isn't a possibility I had considered. Before me aren't the hands of Messiah. These are the hands of something else… Elbow length white gloves. A black shirt… A black cape, draped over my waist, and white knee-high boots. I have a sword, I'm chained to a group of floating coffins…

I am the thirteenth Arcana now. I am Death. Ryoji's fate has been passed on to me.

Nearby, Souji is beginning to wake up. His eyelids flicker open, and, after gazing at me for a short while, receive a quick rub from his hands. Disbelief.

"… Minato?" He's not afraid. He's never afraid. I'd smile, but it won't show—Thanatos… this is my punishment for daring to come back. Out of nowhere, I feel a something charge into me. "Minato, look out!" Souji notices the interruption too. I twist around, and witness a giant creature disappear into thin air. A Persona. I drop to my knees, suddenly weak. I urge myself to transform back into Minato, but my attempts fail. No, no, I can't let myself be taken away, if they kill me—

"He's going down," An eerily cold voice whispers from behind me. Something crashes down onto my head, and the last thing I know before I black out is that Souji is running towards me, looking frightened beyond any measure.

_Souji, don't be frightened…_


	10. Death

I'm bound to a wall, splayed out with my arms spread wide and my legs chained together. The room is white, with a skylight in the ceiling, allowing in dim yellow light from the rounded moon. I drift in and out of consciousness, my eyes fixated on the thick metal door across the room. _Any minute now_, I tell myself, _Souji is going to burst in with Yosuke and Ken, and save me_. As time drags on, it becomes increasingly unlikely. The hours tick by, painfully slowly. Each moment chained here seems to take an eon. I don't know how much more of it I can take.

As the moon begins to sink in the sky, I hear a noise from the doorway. A lock clicks, the handle twists, and in steps an unfamiliar man. He's wearing a cap, tilted down to hide his eyes. My heart leaps up inside of me.

"Junpei?" I ask. The man shakes his head; no. He's not Junpei. I feel more disappointed than I should be. Why would Junpei have been snooping around here, anyway? And besides, Junpei's hair is short—like a buzz-cut. This guy's hair is long, almost down to his shoulders. He's got a slender build, too. Junpei's a lot more masculine than whoever this guy is. After a moment more of looking, I realize that the stranger, though reasonably tall, isn't that much older than I am—only eighteen or nineteen. A smirk spreads across his face, sending a chill down my spine.

"Funny where fate's stuck you, isn't it, Minato?" That voice… I recognize it, but I can't put my finger on why. The man—no, the boy—reaches up to his hat, and begins to lift it off. His hair underneath it is messy, but a quick movement of his hand smoothes it all down, save for two stray bits of fringe. Opening his eyes, I feel a pang of joy as I recognize the multiple tones of blue—light around the outside, dark on the inside, devoid of pupils. At the corner of his left eye is a small black beauty spot. His eyebrows are cut amusingly short.

"Ryoji." I whisper.

"Yeah," He looks about a year older, but it's definitely him. I'm surprised I didn't notice the yellow scarf sooner. "It's me alright." I'm not going to bother asking how he got in. He probably wouldn't have an answer.

"What're you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same, Minato. Top secret cult HQ, chained to a wall, none of your friends with you… you're lucky I showed up, the way I see it," And of course, Ryoji tries to put a positive spin on things. Already, I can see in his face that he's worried, and that he's utterly clueless as to why he's here. "Why do you always end up in these situations?" He asks me, after a moment of silence. All I can do is shrug.

"I blame you," I don't mean it, of course, though it is true—if it weren't for Ryoji, I'd be living a normal life right now, as a twenty-year-old man, not a giant humanoid monster. Stirred into action by Ryoji's appearance, I twist and turn a bit, trying to throw off the chains. Ryoji watches me, silent. After a minute or so of struggling, I relax again. "Can I have some help?" Ryoji shakes his head, almost immediately.

"I don't think I'm allowed to interfere in things like this." And, of course, he's still following Nyx's rules—don't do this, don't do that, remember-- mother Nyx knows best. I'm a little amused by the revelation, but more annoyed than anything. Why does Ryoji have to be so obedient all the time?

"So?"

"So _what_, Minato? It's not like I could help, even if I wanted to," What? "What do you think I'm here for?" He looks at me with a faux smile.

"I think you're here to drag me back up there, honestly," I glance up at the moon. Ryoji smiles sadly, and shakes his head.

"I'm sorry… For once, I'm not out on her orders." I try to process everything that's come up so far, in the hopes of understanding what's going on, but only one thing sticks out for me.

"Cult HQ?" Ryoji looks amused by my question.

"Kidnappers these days… Don't even have the decency to tell you who they are," Motioning around us, Ryoji's expression quickly shifts to a more serious one. "This is the new Nyx Cult HQ." Nyx cult?! But they were wiped out after the Fall… weren't they? I mean, with Takaya and Jin gone they wouldn't have had a leader, and in theory they'd have all forgotten about what happened, too, so... how did they reform?

"I know what you're thinking; but you have to remember, they were very influential in their heyday. Minato… When I brought the Fall, more than a few Persona users were awakened, all over the world. That forced exposure to the Dark Hour caused a fair few people with potential to truly come to the surface… including four, right here in Iwatodai," Flicking his scarf back over his shoulder, Ryoji closes his eyes, trying to think of who they are. "… Tonae, Tougo, Kureno, and one other. I've only done enough snooping to find out that. At the time, they were all in Takaya's old cult." Beginning to walk backwards and forwards across the room, his mouth dips into an annoyed position.

"They've been trying to create a second Fall. Only, for a while, that was hard, because of the fact that you and I were both locked out there in space. But then, when you got dragged out of the Seal, they caught wind of it, and tried to summon me here. Long story short, it was botched—like last time—and they forgot that we're supposed to act as counterbalance for each other. You're the Wild Card, I'm the Shadow… or, this time, it's the other way around," Looking at me sympathetically, he seems lost in his thoughts for a moment, but quickly snaps back into life. "But that fact can change at a moment's notice. I'm still the only one capable of becoming Nyx's herald, so if you were to transfer the energy of the thirteen Shadows to me, we'd be looking at the same situation as in 2009."

"And how would that happen?"

"You'd need to die… and trust me, the cult is ready to kill you if they have to. As it stands, they think you're the key to getting Nyx back. I've been looking around since you defeated the Hanged Man and drew me here, and I've learnt a thing or two about them, but not much," Turning away as though moving to exit, Ryoji gave the smallest of smiles. "Minato, this is where we say goodbye. You have to buy me enough time to assemble what's left of S.E.E.S and get this fixed up."

"What?" I don't want Ryoji to go, not when I've only just met back up with him… I don't want to be alone.

"If they find me, they'll torture me until I tell them how to summon Nyx. I'm human now, I can't take that," His feet begin to carry him away from me. Ryoji, don't go…

"If you have to leave…" I whisper. Ryoji freezes. "… Then at least find Souji Seta for me, and tell him that I'm sorry for getting us into this mess." Ryoji doesn't need more of an explanation. He nods, and continues to walk towards the door out.

"Will do. Bye, Minato," He waves back at me, and closes the door. I hear the click of a lock. Human my ass- Ryoji's still got those weird powers of his, even if they aren't as prominent as they used to be. Slumping down in my restraints, I feel suddenly weak.

I think… that I'm on my last legs. For real, this time. And when I croak, no magic trick of Souji's is going to bring me back. This is it. This is really it. The cult's going to kill me… and all I can do is prolong the time it takes.

Ryoji, you're a liar. You know everything… you just don't want to hurt me. You've always been weak like that. Too afraid to see what bad news does to people. Well, Ryoji, you're better to be truthful than a liar. No-one likes someone who sugarcoats the facts.

… Goodbye, Souji.


End file.
